Scarred
by ZoeTsunami
Summary: Three girls, caught between life and death in World War II, are sucked into Amestris through a mysterious gate. But did it save their lives or condemn them? OCXEd, OCXAl, OCXEnvy, Rated T for language and the course of events, Working on proper title.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Fire. There was fire everywhere. Tall, orange flames shot into the air, eating away at everything in the vicinity. The air was filled with black smoke, ashes and the screams of people trapped within the inferno.

Drowning out the screams were the sounds of airplanes flying overhead, continuously dropping bombs.

In midst of all the turmoil a young girl was running frantically, dodging the flames, falling pieces of wood and brick as well as explosions from the falling bombs, rather with luck than with skill. She kept looking over her shoulders and up at the sky, always on the lookout for danger. Her clothes were torn and dirty, her skin slightly burnt and her arms and legs scratched and bleeding.

She seemed to be heading towards a certain building at the end of the road – or rather, whatever was left of it.

The house might have been a tall, impressive building once, but now it was nothing but burnt out ashes and rubble.

The girl stepped in front of the ruins and looked around. Cautiously now, she stepped forward.

"Chianty?" she called out, scanning the area. "Chantal?"

There was no answer.

An airplane began to circle in the sky above her – she looked up at it anxiously, then hurried to get away from where she was standing. She knew it made no sense to run away in a certain direction, the plane would be much faster than she was – the trick was to change directions often so the pilot couldn't keep up. It was tiring, but then, in exchange for life, what was a little exhaustion? It came down to nothing but the will to carry on living in this war.

As she ran, she tripped over a large stone, adding another scratch to her left leg. She winced at the pain, but got back to her feet and started running again. She was panting from exhaustion, her chest heaving heavily.

Behind her there was an explosion – the plane had begun dropping its bombs.

She turned right at the next chance she got, took another right turn and then a left one. She had no idea where she was going now. She had hoped to find her at her house… but if it was burnt down, did that mean that she was… gone?

The girl's mind was racing. What to do? Where would she go if her house was destroyed?

She remembered the day her mother had died like it was yesterday. But it had been months already, almost a year. Life in this war was hard – but you had to take what you got.

Her mother, who she had been living with, had been killed when their own house was destroyed. The girl had managed to escape, and had found a temporary home with her childhood friend, Chantal – or Chianty, as she called her. The girl knew that somewhere near here, another of her friends had lived until recently, when her home had been destroyed as well. Maybe she could find the two of them together?

The chances of that were very slim, she realized that, but she didn't want to believe they were both dead. She wouldn't believe it until she had seen their bodies – only then would she give up hope.

_They're not dead. They're alright. I just have to find them._

"French! Over here!"

The girl's head turned to see a brown haired girl, about the same age as her but taller, running towards her from a side street.

Relief washed over her. "Chianty!"

Chantal reached her and panted from having run so much. She looked just as scarred and dirty as the other girl – French – did.

"Have you seen anyone else?" French asked.

Chantal shook her head. "There was no one in my house but me when it was destroyed, and I got out okay. I was looking for Tina. Do you know where she went?"

"No, I was looking for her as well. And for you."

The sounds of the plane got closer again.

"Crap. He's still following me. Let's go."

The two girls started running down the road together, the smaller one, French, leading the way between the burning remains of what had once been homes and shops. They passed the smoking ruins of a train station as they hurried on, away from the plane.

"Where should we go?" French asked as they ran.

"Shelter" was all that Chantal managed to gasp.

"The forest?" the other suggested breathlessly.

"Good idea."

They fell into silence again that was only broken by their panting.

There were a few other people on the roads here, frantically looking for shelter or trying to help those trapped in the flames. Ahead of them, French suddenly spotted a taller, blonde girl running in the same direction.

"Look, Chianty! Tina!"

The brunette looked up to see that the smaller girl was right.

"Tina!" she panted, trying to shout but using too much energy for running already. Nevertheless, the blonde girl in front heard her and turned her head.

"French! Chianty!" She slowed down slightly, allowing them to catch up to her. She looked just as exhausted and disheveled as the other two did.

"You're alright!" French exclaimed, a grin spreading across her face.

"So are you! Where are you going?"

"…Forest!" was the answer she got, accompanied by more heavy breathing.

Tina just nodded. And so they continued running together, towards the trees that promised a bit of safety for the moment.

The enemy's planes seemed to have stopped circling overhead; they were getting fewer and fewer. They seemed to have concluded that most of the people living here were dead, and considered their mission accomplished.

But there was still the risk of being followed and hit, either by bullets or falling bombs.

And indeed, as they crossed a field that separated the remains of the houses from the trees of the forest, one of the smaller planes pursued them. It wasn't armed with bombs, but with a set of guns in the front – and if there was someone aboard that plane who know how to shoot properly, the girls were in trouble.

Whoever was aiming the gun opened fire on them just as they reached the shelter of the trees. They ducked down and continued running, bullets flying over their heads.

The smallest girl, French, was leading the way, but she had no idea where she was going – as long as it was in the opposite direction of the plane pursuing them, she didn't really care.

Suddenly Tina screamed in pain and stopped in her tracks. She fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder. One of the bullets had hit her – it hadn't gone deep, but it had to be painful.

"Tina!" Chantal and French called in unison.

What happened then, none of the three would later be able to recount properly.

A single drop of blood from Tina's wound dripped to the ground from between her fingers. It didn't land on one of the countless twigs scattered around them, but on the earth itself.

Suddenly, a bright light shone form the ground they were standing on, in the form of a giant circle. It lit up in a second in a burst of red light, and then the three girls were gone.


	2. Chapter 1  Truth

**Hey there, you guys!**

**I know, it's been quite a long time... well anyways, here is Chapter 1! I hope it's clear what happens here, since I changed perspectives so often. Actually, the same thing happens to all three - except at the end, it's a bit different. So I hope you understand what's going on :P**

**Thanks in advance for reading and commenting :D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1 – Truth<p>

(Tina's POV)

The light engulfed her completely, and the forest, the ground she was lying on and the other two girls were suddenly gone, vanished into a white void of nothingness. There was nothing around her, she was alone.

She noticed that her pain was gone. There was no blood on her shoulder, and she didn't feel the wound.

She stood up and turned around.

Behind her was a huge gate with dozens of incomprehensible symbols engraved upon it. It loomed high above her and threw a dark shadow over her – and someone who was standing in front of her.

It was a figure that looked human at first glance, but when she looked closer she realized it was nothing like a true human – except its shape and its wide grinning mouth. Its body was white, just as tall as her and had the same stature – in fact, if she didn't know better she would have said it resembled herself quite a lot.

"Hello there!" it said, grinning widely.

"W-who are you?" she asked, stunned.

"I have many names. I am the Universe, and I am what you call God. I am Truth. I am All and I am One – and I am also You."

* * *

><p>(Chantal's POV)<p>

"…what?"

She was puzzled and had no idea what the figure was talking about.

"You came here to pass through the gate. Did you think you could continue on without paying a toll?" it continued.

She stared at the gate towering over her, her eyes wide.

"Pass through? Why should I? Where am I, anyway? And where are Tina and French?"

The figure smirked in an evil kind of way.

"Don't you want to know… the truth?"

"Wait – what?"

The gate swung open abruptly, and some kind of force started pulling her towards a space behind the doors she couldn't see. Something was tugging at her limbs, her clothes and her hair with incredible force, and when she looked down she saw dozens of small, black hands reaching for her body, pulling her closer.

"Stop!" she yelled, trying to fight the miniscule hands, but there were far too many for her to get rid of.

* * *

><p>(French's POV)<p>

Her scream was swallowed by the void she was sucked into, blackness clouding her vision as the gate shut behind her.

Then, suddenly, she saw strands of pictures shooting past her, as if she was seeing her life in reverse. She realized those strands were her memories, flying past her at incredible speed. She was falling through a horizontal pathway, framed by pictures of her past, sucked towards something that was coming closer and closer by the second, but remained invisible to her. All the while the small black hands tugged at her clothes, her skin and her hair, pulling her forward.

Suddenly she felt herself getting closer to something she had been searching for. Something big. She reached out subconsciously, trying to touch what was directly in front of her. She was getting so close to it – the truth, the unmistakable truth about everything she had ever wanted to know. It was close, so close she could feel it in her entire body; the tension was becoming incredibly high.

And then, just like that, the feeling was gone. Vanished, just like the strands of memories around her. She was left standing in nothingness – and then she was back in front of the gate, frozen in a position with her hand stretched out in front of her, reaching for the invisible truth that had been so close and yet so far.

She gasped.

"Interesting, wasn't it?" the smirking creature asked.

"What… was that? Let me see it again!"

"I'm sorry, but that is all I can show you for the toll you've paid. You will leave this place now."

"Toll…?" she asked.

* * *

><p>(Tina's POV)<p>

The being didn't answer her question. It simply grinned widely as the gate reopened behind her.

"Good bye" it said, waving its white hand at her. "We may meet again."

The small black hands reached for her again, pulling her inside the gate once more.

"Wait! Stop!"

The beings voice reached her, just as the gate swung shut behind her, plunging her into darkness.

"The one who wishes to run ahead shall forever be left behind. You have paid your toll."

* * *

><p>(Chantal's POV)<p>

The gate reopened and the small black hands returned.

"Good bye" the being said, grinning, as pain suddenly shot through her right leg. She looked down and saw the small hands unraveling her skin, flesh and bones, leaving nothing of her leg behind.

"What?"

Half of her scream was swallowed up by the void she was now sucked into, which removed the gate and the strange figure from her sight.

The creature's voice followed her, saying:  
>"The one who wishes for independence shall never walk on her own feet again"<p>

* * *

><p>(French's POV)<p>

As the tiny hands reached for her body again, she called out:

"Who are you, really? Why are you doing this? What is this? Answer me!"

The creature was laughing now.

Its voice carried after her, as she was pulled inside the darkness of the gate a second time:

"We may meet again. Good bye."

Then she heard more laughter, before the words:

"The one that wishes to be heard shall never speak again. You have now paid your toll."


	3. Chapter 2 Losses

Chapter 2 – Losses

* * *

><p>(Chantal's POV)<p>

The ground had vanished beneath her feet and now she was falling through nothingness. She felt as light as a feather, but at the same time she knew that she was dropping like a rock. She heard air rushing past her, and had the strange sensation of moving in every direction possible, and at the same time standing still.

She was extremely shocked, but also strangely calm. If she could have screamed, she would have, but she had no control over her body. She did not breathe – and she did not know if she could.

She didn't know whether she was surrounded by air, water, or any other substance at all – she was everywhere, and at the same time, nowhere at all. She was alive, and she was dead, too.

She was blind, and yet she saw all kinds of colors – even colors she had no name for.

Then, suddenly, she was pulled down, and began falling at a tremendous speed towards a ground she could not see.

The nothingness around her suddenly opened up, and she found herself falling through the sky.

She was so fast, however, that she couldn't make out anything else about her surroundings.

She closed her eyes, preparing for an impact – but it did not come.

As quickly as the sensation had begun, it ended again – the only thing she felt now was a soft, gentle wind stroking her face, and the grass she was evidently lying on.

That, and then, suddenly, a wave of shocking pain shooting through her legs. So sudden and so shocking that it made her scream. She, who normally never screamed.

But it was gone as quickly as it had come.

All that was left was a strange emptiness.

She opened her eyes and gasped.

* * *

><p>(French's POV)<p>

The falling sensation that had been all around her suddenly vanished, as quickly as it had come. Instead she felt the ground beneath her, and a light breeze brushing over her.

Her eyes snapped open and at the same time she pushed herself upwards, staring at the plain blue sky above her.

She turned her head and looked around, briefly taking in the scenery unfolding around her – unfamiliar hills, and, in the distance, a house. Then she saw the two people lying next to her.

Chianty's scream tore through the peaceful air as she sat up suddenly, gasping. She stretched out her arms towards her own legs, her breathing becoming faster in shock.

Tina sat up, too, and turned to stare at her friend.

"My… my legs…" Chianty stammered.

"What?" Tina asked.

"I can't feel them anymore… I-I can't move them at all…"

French started forwards, reaching out towards her.

"What do you mean? How did this happen? And where are we?" she asked.

Or, at least, that was what she meant to ask.

She opened her mouth, her lips moved, but something seemed wrong.

Something was different.

Missing.

She realized it at the same time as her two friends did, and moved her hands to her throat.

"What… the hell?" she mouthed, surprised.

But there was no sound.

* * *

><p>(Tina's POV)<p>

The shock and panic that rose up inside her was intense. Tina leaned towards the Chianty, trying to do something – anything – but she felt strangely powerless.

They had no idea where they were, and no idea what had just happened to them – moments ago they had been running through the woods with planes pursuing them and dropping bombs, and now this peaceful atmosphere seemed ominous. Peaceful, except for the two other girls' rather panicked breathing.

Tina shuddered slightly. A thousand questions were running through her head, and while she seemed calm on the outside, her brain was working in overdrive.

_Where are we? How did we get here? What the hell had just happened? HOW did it happen? And what's wrong with Chianty's legs? Why is French suddenly hoarse?_

The latter being the least important, it slipped from her mind almost immediately. The temporary loss of one's voice due to shock was not uncommon.

In addition to that, new questions were already building up inside her, forcing themselves to the forefront of her thoughts and superseding the others. These were more penetrant than the first.

_Where are we going to go? What are we going to do? How can I help them? Is there anything wrong with me, too?_

The last question almost caught her off guard.

As she thought this she realized that the wound on her shoulder had returned and was bleeding again. Warm, sticky liquid trickled down her arm. The pain came back, too – sharp and stinging, but it was nothing against the shock and helplessness she felt.

She hesitated for a moment, then pushed it away to the back of her mind, forcing herself to ignore it as best she could.

_There are more important things! First, French and I need to help Chianty! I can worry about myself later!_

* * *

><p>(Ed's POV)<p>

A sharp scream tore through the air – so loud and pain filled that it couldn't have been his imagination.

He shot up from his chair at the same moment that Winry did. She stared at him with fear in her eyes.

"What do you think happened…?" she asked.

"I don't know. But we've got to go and see. Come on."

He pushed his chair aside and led the way out the back door towards the source of the sound.

A short distance away and down the hill there were three people lying in the grass.

He didn't stop to consider, but began running towards them.

"Hey! Are you alright?" he called.

Winry hurried to keep up with him, panting slightly.

They reached the three girls, and Ed knelt down in front of the tall blonde. Blood was dripping from her shoulder onto her torn shirt, and she was clutching the arm of a second girl – this one brown haired and also quite tall, and looking shocked and distressed. The third girl, a short blonde, was sitting on the other side of the brown haired one, her hand on her shoulder.

The tall blonde looked up at Ed and Winry with unbelieving eyes – but also somewhat desperate.

"Please…" she said quietly. "Help us."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey there, everyone :D<strong>

**It's been quite a while now, hasn't it? ^^ I still hope you'll enjoy chapter 2. I will try, as best I can, to update sooner - but I'm extremely busy with school, since I'm in the year that preceeds graduation, and in our country's school system every mark I get, starting now, will be in my final report card. So my life is basically studying, eating and sleeping.**

**Still, I'll do what I can.**

**I want to dedicate this chapter to someone - actually, it was supposed to be her birthday present, but I couldn't finish it in time - in fact, I'm SUPER late with it. I wanted to surprise her with it, because she's been bugging me to continue **_Scarred_** for AGES now. But what with my other fictions etc it's been kind of hard - especially since **_Scarred_ **had/has some mayor plotholes in upcoming chapters. I've had to basically change the whole idea, and she helped me a lot with it.**

**So this Chapter is for Chianty / **_KuroTenshiShiroTenshi_**. Sorry I'm late, and thank you for everything. You're awesome. I hope you can forgive me - not just for being late, that is. Because without you, this whole project - and many others - would be totally screwed. So yeah, thanks to my inofficial beta and incredible idea-giver - my Imo-chan :)**

**Until next time - **

**~ZoeTsunami~**


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